“The message given is to abandon the strategy of development”

science surrender

Academy of Sciences: “The given message is to abandon the development strategy”

ANCiU Secretary Eduardo Manta told the Montevideo Portal that “there appears to be a lack of knowledge” “of what it means for the scientific community’s contribution to emerge from the pandemic.”

The National Academy of Sciences of Uruguay (ANCiU) considers the accountability bill presented by the parliament’s executive branch “clearly insufficient”.

The text provides $26 million for science and technology, but researchers and scholars warn that they will not allocate to those areas, as there are 12 allocated to the Uruguayan Audiovisual Agency, which they see as “not compatible with the sector”.

in conversation with Montevideo GateThe Secretary General of the Academy, Eduardo Manta, emphasized that what was destined for science and technology “was a very unpleasant surprise” and “it seems that the message being given is to abandon the development strategy of the country, based on science and technology with a prominent role.”

In this sense, Manta recalled “what it means for the scientific community’s contribution to come out of the epidemic” and “there appears to be a lack of knowledge” of it. “The need to keep talking about this is fundamental, we are committed to dialogue. In all accountability reports there is a message from the executive branch and then a discussion begins with the various actors.”

Manta emphasized that in previous interviews conducted by the Academy, by presenting the 16 points they considered essential, “there seemed to be a consensus among the interlocutors” and “there seemed to have been political support, not only from the opposition, but also from the coalition actors in the the government “. “Many coalition actors expressed their agreement with the issues we raised and recognized the role of science and technology in national development and development prospects,” he said.

The ANCiU Secretary noted that this is “a major year, because it is the first year that the epidemic has spread and it is time to support the scientific community, which is laying its shoulder in this country.” “We are in the middle of the government’s term, so this accountability is essential,” he stressed.

“It was impossible to get to 1%, but there was a predictable sign showing the entire scientific and technological system that the country is moving in another direction,” Manta said. “The signal did not appear, and that is what worries us the most,” he said.